Acting like kids at Christmastime

Have you ever seen a bunch of grown scientists and engineers act like children at Christmas? Then go to the control room at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab where information is being received from the New Horizons space probe approaching the planet Pluto.

They are currently receiving photographs of a resolution that has not been possible before, and gathering information that has been impossible to obtain.

The idea of New Horizons grew out of a plan called, "The Planetary Grand Tour" in the 1970s because at that time all the outer planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto -- were all lined up allowing any passing space craft to get a gravity boost from each successive planet enabling it to continue on.

Plans were started, but due to a lack of funding, the Grand Tour was canceled. However, the idea of still exploring the planetary alignment was there so Voyager 1 and were 2 formulated, and the planet Pluto was dropped from the itinerary.

Both of the Voyager space probes were spectacular successes, but there was still this "itch" for information from Pluto, especially since it had been demoted from planet-hood to the state of being called a "dwarf planet."

There was no way of obtaining it unless something was sent, and since the slow 248-year orbital speed of Pluto had not moved it too far from the target position it was at its closest point to Earth so New Horizons was started. The resulting space probe was launched in January of 2006, and has been on the "road" since.

Now, we are almost there. Photographs of the surface of Pluto are being sent across the 4.6 light hours to Earth and are absolutely driving scientists giddy. There are shadows of possible craters and other distinctive markings, also color photographs are showing two, distinct, and different sides to the planet.

New Horizons will fly by at 5:00 am MDT on Tuesday, June 14, and there are several web-links that will be broadcasting the event live. One is: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ which is the Johns Hopkins University location and I expect it will be jammed with viewers.

Another link is: www.live.slooh.com, and a couple of links on nasa.gov. So pick your place, set your alarm clock, and be in the front row of history being made as you watch it.

SKY WATCH: Third-quarter moon tonight, July 8. On July 8 and 9 the moon will bracket the planet Uranus. On the 8th it will be about nine degrees to the moon's left, on the 9th it will be about 4.5 degrees to the upper right of the moon. If you have a dark-sky location it might be possible to pull it up in binoculars. The best viewing time is between 3:00 and 3:30 am MDT looking east.

This week we start to say goodbye to the Venus/Jupiter pair, and our old friend Leo, the Lion.

Almost forgot, what with all the Pluto excitement, On Monday, July 6, Earth was at its farthest distance from the Sun for the year.

Farthest you say? Yep, farthest, if you will remember that pesky 23.5 degree tilt of Earth's axis which tips the Northern Hemisphere toward the Sun where we receive more direct--and warmer--sunlight. The opposite is true in December when we are closest, our hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun.

NEXT WEEK: More about Pluto and New Horizons, and more astronomical blathering.